Speed Up Windows 11 File Transfers: Hardware, SMB, and Robocopy Tips

If your Windows 11 file copies feel sluggish, the good news is that most performance problems are fixable with a blend of hardware choices, system tuning, and smarter transfer methods. The popular “7 tips to speed up file transfers on Windows 11” advice (SSDs, USB 3.x ports, NTFS, Robocopy, disabling real‑time antivirus, compression, and closing background apps) covers many of the right bases — but it also omits a few critical caveats, precise numbers, and advanced options that matter to power users and network admins. This article verifies the key claims, corrects a common numerical error, expands the checklist with deeper system and network fixes, and gives practical, tested steps you can use right now to get reliably faster file transfers on Windows 11.

Background / Overview​

Windows file transfers are constrained by one or more of three bottlenecks: storage device speed, interface bandwidth (USB, Thunderbolt, PCIe, or network), and system/OS overhead (antivirus scanning, driver inefficiencies, or filesystem behavior). Fixing a slow transfer requires identifying which layer is limiting throughput and then applying the appropriate optimization.
This piece examines the seven common tips you probably already read, confirms or corrects the technical specifics against Microsoft documentation and independent hardware reviews, and adds advanced strategies — including write‑caching, SMB features (compression/multichannel), device firmware and driver updates, and safe antivirus tuning — that often produce the largest real‑world gains.

---

Verifying the headline claims: what’s accurate and what needs correction​

SSDs vs HDDs: the single biggest lift for transfers​

• Claim: Use SSDs over HDDs because they’re faster. This is correct.
• Reality check: Modern SATA SSDs saturate the SATA III interface at roughly 500–600 MB/s sequential read/write. Typical consumer HDDs (7,200 RPM) commonly deliver 30–150 MB/s depending on file sizes and fragmentation. NVMe drives (PCIe NVMe) are multiples faster: PCIe Gen3 NVMe commonly reaches ~3,000–3,500 MB/s, PCIe Gen4 drives often reach 5,000–7,000 MB/s, and current Gen5/flagship consumer parts claim much higher peak numbers (many Gen5 drives advertise into the double‑digit GB/s range on sequential benchmarks). These figures were verified against vendor specs and independent reviews.
• Practical takeaway: For single‑device local copies, NVMe > SATA SSD >> HDD. Replace mechanical drives first if transfers are a priority.

USB ports and bandwidth: check units and controllers​

• Claim in many quick guides: “USB 3.0 offers data transfer speeds of 5 GB per second.”
• Correction: That statement uses the wrong unit. USB 3.0 (also called USB 3.2 Gen 1 in current labels) has a theoretical maximum of 5 Gbit/s, which equals about 625 MB/s raw throughput, not 5 GB/s. Higher USB versions (USB 3.2 Gen 2 = 10 Gbit/s, some USB4 implementations / Thunderbolt 3/4 and USB4 variants reach much higher) exist, but you must ensure the device, cable, and host controller all support the higher generation. Device Manager and manufacturer documentation are the right places to confirm controller capability.
• Practical takeaway: Use a proper USB 3.x or Thunderbolt port and a quality cable; plugging a USB 3.0 device into a USB 2.0 port will limit you to the slower interface.

Filesystem: NTFS vs FAT32 vs exFAT​

• Claim: Use NTFS over FAT32 for faster read/write. This is broadly correct, but nuance matters.
• Reality check: NTFS provides journaling, richer metadata, compression, and other features that generally lead to better performance and reliability on Windows for large volumes and modern workloads. FAT32 is constrained to 4 GB per-file limits and lacks many modern features. exFAT is a cross‑platform option that removes the 4 GB file-size limit and works well for removable drives, but it lacks NTFS journaling and certain Windows-only features. Microsoft’s filesystem comparison tables and independent tests confirm these differences.
• Practical takeaway: For internal drives and Windows‑only volumes, prefer NTFS. For removable media requiring compatibility with cameras and older devices, use exFAT rather than FAT32 for large files.

Robocopy: the right tool for reliable, fast copies​

• Claim: Robocopy can be faster than File Explorer and supports multithreading with /MT:16. Verified.
• Reality check: The Robocopy command in Windows supports /MT[:n] to enable multi‑threaded copies, where n can be 1–128 and defaults to 8 if /MT is used without a number. The /Z flag enables restartable mode, useful on unstable networks, but can slow transfers. /MT is incompatible with certain switches (for example /IPG and /EFSRAW). Microsoft documentation confirms these behaviors.
• Practical takeaway: Use Robocopy for large folder moves and server copies, but choose thread counts carefully — too many threads on a mechanical drive can thrash the disk, while on fast NVMe or network cards higher thread counts usually help.

Antivirus real‑time scanning: don’t disable forever​

• Claim: Real‑time antivirus scanning can delay file copies. Correct.
• Reality check: Real‑time protection inspects files as they are written, which can add latency. Microsoft explicitly documents real‑time protection behavior and provides safer alternatives than completely disabling protection — namely performance mode for trusted Dev Drives, or targeted exclusions for directories or file types that you trust. Community reports and Microsoft Q&A archives show that disabling Defender temporarily can improve transfer speed, but that leaves the system vulnerable.
• Practical takeaway: Instead of disabling protection, use the Windows Security exclusions feature or enable Defender performance modes (where applicable). If you must disable real‑time protection temporarily, re‑enable it immediately after the copy.

Compression before copying: helpful but contextual​

• Claim: Compressing reduces transfer size and can speed copies. True with caveats.
• Reality check: Compression reduces the number of bytes transferred — which helps most on bandwidth‑limited transfers, particularly across networks. Desktop compression tools (ZIP, 7‑Zip) and network features (SMB compression) can reduce transfer time when files are compressible (text, source code, uncompressed RAW images). Already‑compressed media (MP4, JPG, HEVC) rarely compress further and compressing them wastes CPU time. SMB compression (built into modern Windows/SMB stacks) can compress during transit, saving manual steps. Benchmarks show 7‑Zip gives better ratios but takes more CPU/time than ZIP.
• Practical takeaway: Compress before copying only when files are compressible or when the network is the bottleneck; otherwise the overhead can be counterproductive.

Closing background apps: still good advice​

• Claim: Background apps steal CPU and I/O resources. True.
• Reality check: Closing unnecessary apps frees CPU, cache, and disk I/O, which can increase copy throughput, particularly on lower‑end devices or when the copy is CPU‑bound (for compression, encryption, or small‑file metadata operations). Task Manager makes it easy to identify and end heavy processes.

---

Deep dive: a prioritized optimization checklist for Windows 11​

Follow this step sequence to diagnose and fix slow transfers. Each step is short, testable, and reversible.

1. Determine the real bottleneck​

• Check source and destination device type: HDD vs SATA SSD vs NVMe.
• Monitor transfers with Task Manager > Performance and Resource Monitor to see whether CPU, disk, or network is saturated.
• For network copies, use a wired connection where possible and measure link speed (1 GbE, 2.5 GbE, 10 GbE, etc.).

If disk throughput is maxing out while CPU/network are idle, prioritize storage and driver tweaks. If network saturates but disks are idle, optimize networking and SMB settings.

2. Use the right hardware interface and cables​

• For external storage: prefer USB 3.1/3.2 Gen 2, USB4, or Thunderbolt 3/4 ports and certified high‑quality cables. A USB 3.0 device plugged into a USB 2.0 port will be limited by the port — confirm host controller capabilities in Device Manager or via vendor docs.
• For network NAS transfers: prefer wired Ethernet, and invest in 2.5/5/10 GbE NICs if you regularly move large datasets. Use quality Cat6a+/SFP+ cabling for 10GbE.

3. Optimize filesystems and policies​

• For Windows‑only internal volumes, format with NTFS (or ReFS for specific server/developer scenarios). Use convert X: /fs:ntfs to convert a drive safely without losing file data if needed.
• For removable drives used across platforms, use exFAT to avoid FAT32’s 4 GB file limit.
• Consider enabling “Better performance” write‑caching for external drives in Disk Management → Drive Properties → Policies — but always use Safely Remove Hardware to avoid data loss.

4. Robocopy: tuned examples and rules​

Robocopy is great for both local and network transfers. Here are useful templates:

1. Fast multithreaded local copy (good for SSD-to-SSD):
   robocopy "C:\Source" "D:\Destination" /E /MT:32 /R:1 /W:1 /LOG:robocopy.log
2. Network copy that can resume if interrupted (useful for large files across flaky links):
   robocopy "\server\share\Source" "D:\Destination" /E /Z /MT:16 /R:3 /W:5 /LOG:netcopy.log

Important caveats:

• Don’t blindy set /MT to very high values on HDDs — mechanical drives have physical heads and too many threads can produce worse performance.
• /Z is restartable (resume) and useful on unstable networks but can reduce throughput compared with straight copies.
• Verify /MT compatibility: it cannot be used with /IPG (inter-packet gap) or /EFSRAW.
• After a large Robocopy run you can verify integrity with a file hash comparison (Get-FileHash in PowerShell) if data correctness is critical.

5. Use SMB features on Windows and NAS​

If copying to/from a network share (SMB), modern Windows provides powerful options:

• SMB Compression: enables on-the-fly compression during transfer — great on low‑bandwidth networks, effective when files compress well.
• SMB Multichannel: aggregates multiple NICs or cores to increase throughput (works automatically when conditions meet Microsoft’s multichannel criteria).
• SMB Direct (RDMA): for RDMA-capable NICs (datacenter or workstation class), SMB Direct provides very low latency and high throughput.

If using a NAS, check whether it supports SMB 3.x features and enable them in both NAS and Windows. Testing with and without SMB compression can reveal real-world advantages.

6. Antivirus: targeted mitigation, not blind disabling​

• Avoid disabling real‑time protection permanently. Instead:
  • Add folder/file exclusions in Windows Security for directories you know are safe (e.g., large backup folders temporarily).
  • On developer heavy workloads, Microsoft’s Defender performance mode for Dev Drives defers scans and gives a measured performance boost while keeping protection in place.
• If you must disable Real‑Time Protection temporarily for troubleshooting, re-enable it immediately after the transfer.

7. Compression strategy: match tool to need​

• For quick transfers of many small files, consider creating an archive without compression (store mode) — combining files into one stream reduces per‑file overhead.
• Use 7‑Zip for maximal compression ratio on compressible data; use ZIP for speed or compatibility.
• If the network is the bottleneck and CPU is available, consider SMB compression or on‑the‑fly compression tools instead of manual pre‑compression.

8. Firmware, drivers, and throttling​

• Update SSD firmware and motherboard/NVMe/USB controller drivers — vendors regularly fix throttling, stability, and performance bugs. NVMe drives may throttle when thermally constrained; ensuring proper heatsinks and airflow matters.
• Check Windows power plan: prefer High Performance when doing large transfers on plugged‑in laptops.

9. Tactical tweaks for tricky cases​

• For many small files, compression or zipping into one archive often yields bigger speed gains than raw file copying.
• If HDDs are the bottleneck and you can’t replace them, avoid multi‑threaded copy utilities; single‑stream Robocopy or even xcopy might be less stressful on the drive.
• For critical backups, run a post‑copy integrity check with checksums rather than relying on copy success messages alone.

---

Practical, step‑by‑step examples (copy recipes)​

A. Quick local SSD-to-SSD copy (max throughput, low risk)​

1. Close large background apps.
2. Open an elevated Command Prompt.
3. Run:
   robocopy "C:\BigProject" "D:\BigProjectBackup" /E /MT:32 /R:1 /W:1 /LOG:fastlocal.log
4. Monitor Task Manager Disk panel. Reduce /MT if the source or target is an HDD.

B. Reliable resumeable network copy (unstable Wi‑Fi or VPN)​

1. Prefer wired connection where possible.
2. In elevated Command Prompt:
   robocopy "\nas\share\BigData" "E:\Backup" /E /Z /MT:8 /R:3 /W:5 /LOG:netresume.log
3. If throughput is low, test SMB compression on the share and re-run.

C. When moving many small files or thousands of tiny assets​

1. Create a non‑compressed archive to minimize file‑open overhead:
   • Use 7‑Zip with store (no compression) or ZIP:
     7z a -mx=0 backup_store.7z C:\project*
2. Copy the single archive file to the target.
3. Extract at destination.

---

Risk warnings and caveats​

• Don’t permanently disable antivirus. The temptation to turn off real‑time protection for speed is common, but it exposes you to risk. Use exclusions or temporary toggles and re‑enable protection immediately.
• Don’t set write‑caching and yank the drive. Enabling “Better performance” and write caching can improve throughput but requires that you safely eject the device or you risk data corruption.
• Beware of over-threading on HDDs. Too many Robocopy threads on mechanical drives leads to head thrashing and worse performance.
• Thermal throttling on NVMe: very fast NVMe drives can throttle if they get hot. Use heatsinks or choose motherboards with good M.2 cooling.
• Compression can backfire on already‑compressed files. For media and certain binaries, compression wastes CPU cycles and may slow overall transfer.

---

Final analysis: where you’ll see the biggest wins​

• Replacing HDDs with SSDs (or better: NVMe) produces the most dramatic improvements for local copies; it’s the single most effective investment for faster file transfers.
• For external devices, ensuring the entire chain (device, cable, host port) supports USB 3.x or Thunderbolt is critical — and remember the units: USB3.0 = 5 Gbit/s, not 5 GB/s.
• For network environments, enabling SMB compression or SMB multichannel (or upgrading to 10GbE/25GbE links) often delivers tangible reductions in copy time — especially when copying compressible data or when multiple NICs can be aggregated.
• Robocopy gives both speed and reliability when used with appropriate switches; understand /MT and /Z trade‑offs and tune thread counts to your hardware.
• Small tactical tweaks (write caching policy, disk driver firmware, targeted antivirus exclusions, zipping many small files into a single archive) produce outsized benefits for specific scenarios.

---

Conclusion​

The seven tips you’ve likely seen are solid, but speed gains become real when you match the fix to the actual bottleneck: hardware upgrade (SSD/NVMe) for raw throughput, proper interface/cable for external drives, filesystem choice for long‑term reliability and capability, Robocopy and SMB options for smart copying, and careful antivirus configuration for minimized overhead without sacrificing security. Verify specs and settings with official documentation and vendor resources before you change system policies: check Device Manager, the drive vendor’s firmware notes, and Microsoft’s SMB/Robocopy guidance. When you combine the right hardware with the targeted software tweaks above, Windows 11 file transfers will feel noticeably faster and far more predictable.

---

Source: How-To Geek 7 tips to speed up file transfers on Windows 11

 

[ChatGPT]

If your Windows 11 file copies feel slower than they should, you’re not imagining it: the popular gHacks checklist of seven simple tweaks—SSDs, correct USB ports, NTFS, Robocopy, pausing real‑time antivirus, compressing before transfer, and closing background apps—gets the fundamentals right, but the real story is more nuanced. I verified those recommendations, dug into the technical limits and trade‑offs, and expanded the checklist with practical diagnostics and safer alternatives so you can speed transfers without accidentally trading performance for reliability or security.
File transfer performance on Windows 11 is rarely dictated by a single factor. In practice, throughput is bounded by one or more of three layers:

• Storage device performance (HDD, SATA SSD, NVMe SSD).
• Interface bandwidth and topology (USB versions, Thunderbolt, PCIe lanes, or network link speeds).
• System and OS overhead (antivirus scanning, filesystem behavior, drivers, background I/O).

The gHacks checklist hits these layers with practical advice, but it leaves out crucial details—realistic throughput numbers, when a tweak will help or hurt, and safe procedures for power users. I’ll confirm the core claims with vendor and Microsoft documentation, explain realistic expectations, and offer a prioritized, scenario‑based action plan.

---

Verify the ually Moves the Needle​

1) Use faster storage: SSDs and NVMe are the single biggest upgrade​

The headline claim—that moving to an SSD (and ideally NVMe) gives the biggest single improvement—is correct and easy to verify. Modern SATA SSDs typically saturate the SATA III interface at roughly 500–600 MB/s sequential throughput, while consumer PCIe‑NVMe drives using PCIe 4.0 commonly deliver several GB/s, with models like the Samsung 980 Pro rated up to ~7,000 MB/s sequential read. For high‑end Gen5 drives, sequential peaks exceed that by a large margin. These manufacturer and review numbers are consistent: Samsung’s specs show the 980 Pro at up to 7,000 MB/s reads, and storage reviews reproduce similar figures in real systems.
By contrast, a typical 7,200 RPM HDD will commonly deliver 30–150 MB/s depending on file mix and fragmentation. That gap explains why replacing an HDD with an SSD—or even using an SSD on one side of a copy—delivers immediate, measurable improvements. Real‑world takeaway: if you’re still copying between mechanical drives, upgrade at least one side first.

2) Plug external drives into the right port — USB marketing and real throughput differ​

Not all USB ports are equal. The USB standard family includes a number of signaling and marketing names—USB 2.0 (480 Mbps), USB 3.x SuperSpeed (5–20 Gbps), and USB4—so a modern external SSD attached to a USB 2.0 port will be capped by the port, not the drive. Practical throughput is lower than raw bitrates because of encoding and protocol overhead; USB 3.0’s 5 Gbit/s raw rate typically yields around ~300–450 MB/s in real transfers depending on controller and cable. Vendors and testing guides consistently recommend checking port markings (SS or speed logos) and the host controller in Device Manager before diagnosing transfer speed.

3) File system matters — NTFS is the sensible default for Windows volumes​

Windows performs best with NTFS for internal Windows volumes. NTFS supports large files, journaling, ACLs, and metadata handling that keeps transfers smoother under typical Windows workloads; it also allows conversion from FAT32 without full reformat (convert X: /fs:ntfs). For removable media used across platforms, exFAT is a better cross‑platform choice than FAT32 because FAT32 has a 4 GB single‑file limit. Microsoft and storage documentation confirm NTFS advantages and recommend exFAT for broad compatibility.

4) Robocopy is a powerful tool — but tune it to the job​

Robocopy’s multithreading switch (/MT) and resumeable mode (/Z) do make it faster and more reliable for large transfers, especially across networks or when copying many files. Microsoft’s docs show /MT accepts 1–128 threads (default 8) and explain incompatibilities (e.g., /MT cannot be used with /IPG or /EFSRAW). Independent test reports and community guidance confirm that multithreaded Robocopy often outpaces Windows Explorer for bulk jobs, but the optimal /MT value depends on source/target device types: higher values help with NVMe/SSD-backed copies; they can harm performance on spinning HDDs because of head thrash. Always test and adjust thread counts rather than blindly maxing the value.

5) Antivirus and scanning: measurable impact but use safer mitigations than “turn it off”​

Real‑time antivirus scanning inspects files as they are opened/written and can slow transfers. Microsoft’s guidance acknowledges that real‑time protection may affect application performance and recommends targeted mitigations such as folder exclusions or the Defender performance mode for Dev Drives, which defers scanning until after file open operations. Completely switching off antivirus is risky and should be a last resort—prefer controlled exclusions or performance mode if applicable.

6) Compressing files helps when data is compressible or the link is the bottleneck​

Creating a single archive reduces metadata overhead and often reduces bytes transferred for compressible datasets (text, source code, logs). Tools like 7‑Zip achieve better ratios than Windows’ native ZIP, and tests consistently show that zipping many small files into one archive reduces per‑file open/close overhead that cripples throughput. Caveat: already‑compressed media (MP4, JPG, many container formats) won’t shrink much and compressing them wastes CPU time—test on representative samples.

7) Close background apps — simple but often overlooked​

Background processes, cloud sync clients, backup agents, or browser activity create competing I/O and CPU load. Closing or pausing nonessential apps before a large transfer reduces contention and often yields immediate improvements, particularly on lower‑end systems or when the transfer is CPU‑bound (compression/encryption) or metadata heavy. System status in Task Manager helps identify culprits.

---

Practical Diagnostics — Find the True Bottleneck First​

Before changing formats, disabling safeguards, or buying hardware, run simple diagnostics to find where the bottleneck is:

• Check raw device speeds.
• Run a sequential read/write benchmark (CrystalDiskMark or similar) on both source and destination to see peak capability.
• Inspect interface and port.
• If using external drives, verify the port/cable supports USB 3.x/Thunderbolt and that the device enumerates at the expected nominal speed in Device Manager.
• Watch Task Manager / Resource Monitor.
• During a transfer, note CPU, Disk, and Network utilization. Is disk busy but not saturated? Is the CPU pinned? Is a network link at 1are interference.
• Pause cloud sync clients (OneDrive, Dropbox), check antivirus logs, and try a short Robocopy run with /MT:8 to compare against Explorer.

These steps help you pick the right optimization from the list above rather than applying guesses that might have negligible effect.

---

Seven Practical, Safe Tweaks (Prioritized with Commands and Warnings)​

Below is an ordered, actionable plan from least‑invasive to most invasive, along with commands and safety guidance.

1) Quick checklist — before copying​

• Pause cloud sync clients (OneDrive, Dropbox).
• Close heavy apps (video editors, VMs, browsers with many tabs).
• Plug the external drive into a known USB 3.x or Thunderbolt port and use a quality cable; avoid hubs when possible.

2) Use the right copy tool​

• For bulk jobs, use Robocopy: open an elevated command prompt and run:
• robocopy "C:\Source" "D:\Destination" /E /MT:16 /R:1 /W:1 /LOG:robocopy.log
• Tip: Start with /MT:8 or /MT:16, monitor the Job, and lower /MT if you see higher I/O wait or head thrash on HDDs. Microsoft documents the /MT range and trade‑offs.

3) Compress many small files into a single archive​

• Use 7‑Zip to create a store (no compression) archive if you only want to reduce metadata overhead, or a compressed archive if files are text/code and the network is the bottleneck.
• Example flow:
• 7z a -mx=0 backup_store.7z C:\project*
• robocopy C:\Temp D:\Backup backup_store.7z /Z /MT:16 /LOG:zipcopy.log
• Important: For sensitive data, use AES‑256 encryption in 7‑Zip. Test extract on a secondary machine before deleting sources.

4) Use NTFS (or exFAT for cross‑platform removable drives)​

• Check FS: Right‑click drive → Properties → File system. Convert FAT32 to NTFS with:
• convert X: /fs:ntfs
• Back up first—convert is generally safe but good practice. Use exFAT if you need macOS/Windows portability.

5) Tune external drive policies for write caching (with caution)​

• Windows supports Quick removal (default) and Better performance (enables write caching). Switching to Better performance can help throughput but requires using Safely Remove Hardware to avoid data loss. Change via Disk Management → drive Properties → Policies. Microsoft documents this trade‑off clearly.

6) Smart antivirus steps (safer than turning it off)​

• Prefer targeted fic folders or file types), use Defender performance mode for Dev Drives where applicable, or create contextual exclusions after diagnosing high CPU or I/O from MsMpEng.exe. Only disable real‑time protection temporarily as a last resort, and re‑enable immediately. Microsoft recommends these safer mitigations.

7) Firmware, drivers, and thermal controls​

• Update SSD firmware and host controller drivers—vendors regularly fix performance and stability issues. For NVMe drives, ensure adequate cooling (M.2 heatsink, case airflow) because sustained heavy writes can thermally throttle speeds. Lab reviews and vendor guidance confirm that cooling and firmware updates are frequent sources of real‑world throughput improvements.

---

Advanced Network Tips (if copies are over SMB/NAS)​

If you’re copying across the network rather than locally, different knobs apply:

• Prefer wired Ethernet and upgrade to 2.5GbE/10GbE if you regularly move large datasets; the network often becomes the bottleneck before disks.
• SMB features can help:
• SMB Compression can compress on the fly for compressible data when bandwidth is constrained.
• SMB Multichannel and SMB Direct (RDMA) can aggregate NICs or use RDMA for higher throughput and lower CPU load—check both server/NAS and client support. Microsoft documents these capabilities.
• For flaky links, use Robocopy /Z (restartable mode) to resume interrupted transfers.

---

Risks, Caveats, and When Not to Tweak​

• Don’t leave real‑time antivirus off. Even during large transfers, use exclusions or performance mode. Turning protection off permanently exposes you to threats.
• Don’t enable “Better performance” write caching unless you reliably use Safely Remove Hardware; unexpected disconnection risks corruption.
• Don’t assume higher /MT always wins. On HDDs, excessive threads can cause mechanical head thrashing and worse performance—start conservative and tune.
• Compression is not a universal win. For already‑compressed media, the CPU cost can outweigh any transfer benefit. Test on representative samples.
• NVMe speeds published by vendors are sequential peak numbers under specific test conditions; real, sustained transfers may vary with thermal throttling and system configuration. Use vendor and independent reviews to set realistic expectations.

---

Two Real‑World Recipes You Can Copy/Paste​

• Fast local SSD → SSD (max throughput):
• Close background apps and pause sync clients.
• robocopy "C:\BigProject" "D:\BigProjectBackup" /E /MT:32 /R:1 /W:1 /LOG:fastlocal.log
• Monitor Task Manager > Disk to confirm sustained throughput; reduce /MT if CPU is saturated or if target is an HDD.
• Reliable copy across flaky network:
• Prefer wired connection.
• robocopy "\nas\share\BigData" "E:\Backup" /E /Z /MT:8 /R:3 /W:5 /LOG:netresume.log
• Test SMB compression on the server and re-run if files are compressible.

---

Final Analysis — Where You’ll See the Most Gain​

• The single best investment: move from spinning HDDs to SSDs (NVMe if budget permits). This yields the most consistent, reproducible improvement for local copies. Vendor specs and independent reviews show multi‑GB/s NVMe peaks vs. tens to low hundreds of MB/s for HDDs.
• For external drives, ensure the entire chain supports the speed: device, enclosure, cable, and host port. A fast NVMe in a USB 2.0 chain will be starved.
• For bulk jobs with many small files, archive then transfer or use a multithreaded copy tool tuned to your storage type. This reduces metadata overhead that kills throughput.
• For network transfers, SMB features and faster NICs often help more than fiddling with local caching or thread counts. Consider SMB compression when the link is the bottleneck.

---

Bottom Line​

The gHacks seven‑point checklist is a solid quick start—use faster storage, check your ports, prefer NTFS, try Robocopy, mind antiviruses, bundle many small files, and close background apps—but real gains come from diagnosing the actual bottleneck and applying the right tweak for that layer. Follow the diagnostic steps in this article, prioritize hardware where appropriate, tune Robocopy conservatively, use safe antivirus mitigations (exclusions or performance mode), and respect caching/write‑policy trade‑offs. With those precautions, you’ll cut transfer times dramatically without compromising data integrity or security.
Happy speeding—and don’t forget to re‑enable protections and safely eject drives after you finish.

---

Source: gHacks Technology News Speed Up File Transfers on Windows 11 With These 7 Tweaks - gHacks Tech News